Ramachandra Guha, an esteemed environmental scholar and biographer, dives into the roots of Indian environmentalism. He discusses the contrast between grassroots movements like the Chipko and centralized governmental practices. Guha also contrasts the visions of Patrick Geddes and JC Kumarappa on sustainable development. He emphasizes the importance of integrating local knowledge into ecological strategies and critiques the tension between technology and environmentalism. The conversation further highlights the often-overlooked contributions of women in this critical discourse.
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insights INSIGHT
Bottom-Up Environmentalism in India
Indian environmentalism has a bottom-up, community-centric history distinct from global environmental narratives.
Local knowledge and social relations are crucial for ecological stewardship and often erased by imported 'best practices'.
insights INSIGHT
India’s Local Environmental Crisis
India’s environmental crisis includes local commons issues independent of climate change effects.
These local problems stem from mismanagement and corruption, aggravating livelihoods of millions.
insights INSIGHT
Centralization vs Local Governance
Centralization of resource decisions has persisted from colonial to modern India, causing dispossession.
True environmental management requires local stakeholders' involvement through decentralization.
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In this book, Wendell Berry argues that good farming is not just an economic activity but a cultural and spiritual discipline. He critiques the modern agribusiness model for taking farming out of its cultural context and away from families, leading to a nation more estranged from the land. Berry emphasizes the destructive effects of mechanized farming on the environment and society, advocating for a return to more traditional and sustainable farming practices. He also discusses the broader implications of this disconnection, including the fragmentation of modern society and the loss of communal integrity.
India after Gandhi
The History of the World's Largest Democracy
Ramachandra Guha
This book provides a detailed and insightful account of India's history post-independence. It covers the challenges and disturbances faced by the country, the roles of key leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, and the lives of lesser-known Indians including peasants, tribals, women, workers, and Untouchables. The book is known for its meticulous research, drawing from private papers of important Indian personalities and newspaper records. A revised and expanded edition was published in 2017, which includes new chapters and a rewritten epilogue[2][5][6].
Speaking with Nature
Speaking with Nature
Ramachandra Guha
The unquiet woods
Ecological Change and Peasant Resistance in the Himalaya
Ramachandra Guha
This book by Ramachandra Guha explores the history of peasant resistance in the Himalayas, particularly the Chipko movement, which is a significant example of grassroots activism against commercial forestry. The study combines the sociology of peasant protest with ecologically oriented historical research. The expanded edition includes a new epilogue that updates the story of Himalayan social protest and reflects the continuing influence of the Chipko movement. It also features a new appendix charting the progress of environmental history in India, along with revised and updated bibliography and index.
Today my guest is environmental scholar, historian and biographer Ramachandra Guha. He is the author of a number of books, including a two-volume biography of Gandhi and the award-winning book “India After Gandhi.”
We talked about his latest book, "Speaking with Nature: The Origins of Indian Environmentalism.” We spoke about global versus local commons, bottom up approach to environmentalism in India, urbanization, economic growth and technological progress and much more.
Ideas of India 
